The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-02-23

ing. France will not be the aggressor. In
the next place, every Frenchman will know
that upon success depends the very life Of
the nation. We cannot afford to be defeated
this time In the chamber of deputies the
most violent antagonists Of the government
assert with the utmost zeal and vigor that
in the event of war there will be no party
except the party in support Of the govern
ment. The French people have been very
prudent. The newspapers are calm and
sef-restrained. The spirit that animates
the French people is the same as that which
found expression from the lips of Chanzy,
who said that Frenchman who spoke of re-
venge ought to be hanged, and the French
man who did not think revenge i'm the re-
hottest depths of his heart ought to be shot.
The navy OF France Is to-day competent to
cope with the navy of Germany upon any
waters on the globe. / think we are equally
ready as to armies and arms. Our military
leaders have not yet been fully developed,
but we have reason to hope that emergency
will bring them forth, as it has for other
nations and for our own. We are not look
ing for Napoleon and we are seeking to
avoid a Bazaine, and above all things we
want a Frenchman with the good of his
country at heart. 1t is possible we might
be better off if war could be postponed until
1880, when we would have twenty classes of
men under arms. We now have only
seventeen, the present military laws having
gone into effect in 1870, but the difference Of
these three classes is scarcely material. We
hear great deal said about the repeating
rifles with which the Germans are armed
III ! were commander of the French forces /
would not have a repeating rifle in the
army. They are only serviCeable in keep
ing up the courage of the men by the con-
slant explosion of cartridges the bullets from
which go wide of the mark. They keep up
the courage of men who are engaged in
what you call bushwhacking,' lodging
from tree to tree, without touching the ell
bows of their felow-Comrades But as soon
as the shots are all fired, away goes the
courage and the army is demoraized. |
would have the soldiers armed with single
shooters and carry their ammunition in the
old pouches, and instruct them that every
bullet must be sent to the mark. The diff
cultles OF procuring ammunition on the field
of battle are almost insurmountable at
times, and the soldier who is trained to re-
cogniZe the value of every cartridge is the
better soldier of the two types. Besides all
this, Germany has no such great equipment
of repeating rifles, even if they were more
desirable. There are not so many repeat
ing rifles manufactured and in existence at
the present time as to arm over 200 600 or
100000 of her soldiers and leave any great
portion of such arms for the other nations
which have been using such equipments"
" How is it with Germany? Does the En-
peror really desire war;" " 1t is not ques-
ton of what the Emperor desires Bismarck
IL une only berlnan. Wllllaln Is RUSSIAN.
Won Moltke is under such control that he
would to-day, if ordered by the Emperor,
draw his sword against the Bavarans or
SaxonS as readily as against foreign foe
There is lack of unity in the empire. There
is need of unification. Bismarck knows
that the only thing that will soidify the
empire is a foreign war. Knowing that and
knowing Bismarck, there can be no Ques-
ton but that there will be war Germany
will find pretext. How soon or how late
it will come cannot be foretod. In my
opinion, the result of the elections to the
reichstag will in a measure determine the
day of opening hostilties. He holds a
trump card and he is fearless enough to play
it if necessary. If he should find that the
elections are going against the government
he will declare war before the elections
come off to force the elections in his favor
1t is a reasonable thing to expect and the
only thing left for him to do"